Abstract:The ups and downs in the business world have made it clear to us that the timely access to business news plays an irreplaceable role in the economic development and prosperity of the majority of developing countries, not least China as the most dynamic and fastest growing developing country. Presently, the quality of domestic business news translation from English to Chinese is much to be desired. Owing to a lack of proper theoretical guidance on business translation, many unqualified version can be found in translation targeted at oversea business news, which remained to be refined. This paper attempts to analyze the business news from a fresh viewpoint of register theory---a branch of SFL systematic functional linguistics. The main material quoted in this paper is drawn from world-renowned business periodicals and journals, such as Financial Times, Business week and The Economist. The author makes an endeavor to analyze and define the register features of business news in terms of three variables of register theory, namely, field, tenor and mode. By comparing different translation version of business news from English to Chinese within the framework of business register, the conclusion will be drawn as follow: register theory can be served as a useful tool in Chinese translation of English business news; register analysis of the source text is essential before translation, then the search for the register equivalence in the targeted language will ensure that the translation work will meet the standards of the source text in both pattern and meaning.

Keywords: business news, Register Theory, Chinese translation of business news, field, tenor, mode

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

1.1 Rationale and Significance of the Study 1 

1.2 Structure of the Thesis  1 

Chapter 2 Literature Review of Register Theory 3

2.1 Overall View of Historical Development of Register Theory 3   

2.2 Register Variables and Three Meta-Functions of Language  3

2.3 Application of Register Theory into Translation 4

Chapter 3 Language Features of Business English News  5

3.1 Definition and Significance of Business News  5

3.2 Linguistic Features of Business News  5   

3.2.1 Lexical Level 5  

3.2.2 Syntactic Level6  

3.3.3 Rhetorical Level 6   

Chapter 4 Application of Register Theory in Translation of Business News  7

4.1 Enlightment of Register Theory on Translation of Business News  7

4.2 Equivalence in Field  7

4.3 Equivalence in Tenor 9 

4.4 Equivalence in Mode10  

Chapter 5 Conclusion  13

References  14

Acknowledgements 15